This Bottle
Typing (Typology) & Diagnostic Shapes
section is comprised of a complex of many - often very long - pages which
are close to completion. This Bottle Typing
section is the last incomplete
section of the Historic Bottle Website though it (Bottle Typing) is currently about
98% complete
and quite usable.

NOTE: This page may
be slow loading due to hundreds of incorporated images; it may take 20-30+
seconds even with a high speed connection.

INTRODUCTION

The shape of an historic bottle is usually
indicative of what the bottle was most likely used for, i.e., what it contained.
What a bottle was used for is referred to on this website as a "bottle type" or "type of bottle",
i.e.,
liquor, mineral water, druggist, food, etc. The process of ascertaining
what a bottle was used for is termed
typology or simply "typing" and is the
subject of this webpage and the many connected sub-pages. Since it was the contents
of a bottle that guided the consumer in making a selection, not the bottle
itself, contents are the most important consideration in establishing categories
for bottle classification (Herskovitz 1978). The following is from Reher &
Wedel (1990):

Glass containers are engineered along very specific
design principles. Container size, orifice diameter, neck length, and
other attributes as well as the rations between such morphological
characteristics are determined largely by such basic principles as frequency of
access, amount of contents removed with each access, and the type of content
(bulk solid, liquid, semi-liquid, etc.).

Most bottle shapes were closely associated
and identified with a certain product or products as "form follows function" to a large
degree in bottle shapes and styles. Soda/mineral water and beer are prime examples
of products very closely identified with certain distinct bottle shapes that
were rarely used for other products. However, there were many
exceptions and different "standard" bottle styles have varying degrees of fidelity to type
with some shapes less connected
to a specific product than soda and beer bottles. For example during the
19th and early 20th centuries small (one pint or less), flat
liquor
flasks were also used to contain medicine (often including alcohol however),
Jamaica ginger (also high alcohol), vanilla extract, and
other liquid products, though 90%+ of these flasks
were likely used for liquor (empirical observation/estimate).

Of
course, there will always be a few wild exceptions that leave one scratching
their head as to why that shape was used for that product. For example, the early
1890's amber bottle pictured to the right is embossed Aromatic / Disinfector /
Pat. / Sept. 9, 1890 (which research
on the internet indicates was a company located in at least Philadelphia and New York) and is very similar in shape and
size to a
round bottom soda bottle, but in fact, held a poisonous disinfectant!
The embossing is also upside down relative to the bottle base because the bottle
was inserted upside down into to a metal dispenser for use (Rochester Midland
Co. 2005). Oddities
like this abound in the historic bottle world and one just needs to be aware
that there are always exceptions to any general statement or "rule" with
the dating and typing of bottles.

Berge (1980:37) notes the following in
his milestone BLM historic cultural resources report entitled "Simpson Springs Station - Historical
Archaeology in Western Utah":

"A drawback of functional
classifications is that many unlabeled or unmarked bottles are assumed to have
been used for one purpose when in reality they may have been used for something
quite different. A small, square bottle could have been used for shoe
polish, oil, pills, dental powder, or a number of other purposes.
Classifying a shoe-polish bottle several times as a pill bottle would obviously
lead one to erroneous conclusions about the users. It is not suggested
that functional interpretations be eliminated; rather they may play a part in
description as possible uses, and in site interpretations. The functions
of many bottles with traditional shapes are well known."

Berge also noted that "...analysis of
remnants of the contents left in the bottle may lead to precise identification;
however, this would give the last use only, and bottles are often used for
secondary purposes..." and "...possibly the only positive method of
identifying primary content is by the original label."

As indicated above, there are no guarantees in regards to typing
otherwise unmarked or unlabeled bottles, but as Berge noted "...the
functions of many bottles with traditional shapes are well known."
Similar to the manufacturing related dating features discussed elsewhere on
this site, typing is based on the relative probability of determining what
the bottle was used for, i.e., the probability that the determined use is
correct. Though the relative probabilities noted here are not and can
not be specifically - or statistically - quantified, the relative
probability predictions are based on the information gleaned from hundreds
of references and bottle maker catalogs as well as the authors
observations over many decades. Critical to predicting the likelihood
of a certain bottle shape being closely associated with a particular type of
contents are bottles with the original labels still intact and embossed
bottles, where the original contents are obvious.

A
note about embossing:

What
a bottle was used for (what "type" of bottle it was) can often be easily
ascertained if there is embossing on the bottle. As an example,
if one considers the tall, amber cylinder bottle pictured to the left which is embossed
Teakettle (teakettle trade mark) / Old Bourbon / Shea,
Bocqueraz & McKee / Agents / San Francisco a person already knows its a liquor bottle from California,
because it says so. It could well have been reused for other products,
but one can be sure that it was originally used for a proprietary brand of
bourbon.

This
"Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes" series of pages
would also help a user narrow down the date range of this commonly shaped Western liquor bottle
to between the mid 1870's and early 1880's. Additionally, the
Reference Sources
page lists several
excellent reference books on Western American liquor bottles which would help flesh
out out the story of the
Teakettle Old Bourbon bottle and confirm the date range of this bottle
as that listed above (Wilson & Wilson 1968; Thomas 1977 & 2002).
The point here is that the dual process of both dating a bottle and
determining what it was used for (typing) provides mutually complementary
information in that the typing often gives clues about the age and the
manufacturing related diagnostic features can sometimes provide clues about the
bottle type. Consulting other website pages (e.g., "Bottle Bases",
"Bottle Body Characteristics & Molds Seams", "Bottle Finishes", etc.) also
helps round out the general "story" of a given bottle.

Back
to bottle bottle body embossing....
Unfortunately, embossing was not generally common on
utilitarian bottles until after the Civil War, and even
by the 1890's, embossed bottles
still probably remained less than 40% of total production though the
percentage varied significantly by bottle type (Fike 1987; Fowler pers. comm. 2006). To
quote McKearin & Wilson (1978:89) in reference to mid-19th century bottle
production - "For the most part, the output of one (bottle maker)
was similar to that of another - unmarked and anonymous."
Given this, it is certainly true that the majority of bottles produced during the period covered by this website
(1800 to the 1950's) are either
not embossed, or if embossing, it does not provide any information as to the
date and/or use (type) of the bottle. Conversely, users will note that a lot of the bottles pictured
on this website will have embossing because an embossed bottle provides the
potential for additional information about
a particular bottle style or shape which is directly applicable to its non-embossed - but similarly shaped
- counterpart.

For example, one would expect an unembossed bottle
of the same shape
as the Teakettle sharing similar manufacturing related
diagnostic features (applied finish, no air venting, post-mold
base) to likely be a liquor bottle that dates from the 1870's or early 1880's. The
unembossed cylinder "fifth" liquor bottle pictured to the right
has virtually all the same diagnostic features of the Teakettle except that it
was blown in a four-piece instead of a two-piece mold ( a feature which does not affect the estimated dating range - see the mold
type discussions on the Bottle Body Characteristics & Mold Seams
page). Because it has the same shape and shares the same primary
manufacturing characteristics, it is reasonable to conclude that this bottle almost certainly dates from the same
era as the Teakettle,
i.e., approximately 1875 to 1885 and held some type of spirits.

In summary, form follows
function most of the time and is the best one can do
from this juncture in time unless the unembossed bottle in question has the original
label. Even then, as Berge (1980) noted above, this only tells one what the
last use of the bottle was, if indeed the bottle was reused.

NOTE: Attached to this complex of pages is one that is an ongoing pictorial coverage of all types of bottles with their original labels.
This page allows users to see specifically what many different shapes of
bottles were used for as the original labels are still intact.
Click
Labeled bottles to move to
that section of this page.

However, consumers of the time - just like today
-
looked for certain products in certain shaped packages. Because of
this most users of bottles used some accepted or standard shape for a
given product. A square, short necked bottle like that pictured below
was very commonly used for medicinal products and in particular
"bitters" which was a very popular type of usually high
alcohol medicinal product
during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This general shape was also
used for "schnapps" - another high alcohol nominally medicinal product.
In fact, early bottle makers called this shape either a "bitters" or a
"schnapps" (Illinois Glass Co. 1903-04, Alther 1909). If the bottle is embossed
(or labeled) with the product name or type, then one
knows for sure what it originally contained. If the bottle is not
embossed or labeled, then the shape can
still be very indicative of what the contents most likely were.

2.Any
given bottle could have been
recycled and reused many times for totally unrelated products.

As an
example, the
bottle pictured to the left obviously began its life as a
bitters container for Lashes Bitters. This product
originated in Sacramento, CA. though in the 20th century its popularity
justified offices in Chicago and New York (Wichmann 1999). However, as
indicated by the label on the reverse, this particular bottle finished its
useful life as an ammonia container - a decidedly poisonous substance - from
a Cleveland, OH. concern. Click
label close-up to view more label details. Medicinal and bitters
bottles were commonly reused for bluing and ammonia (Busch 1987). This machine-made bottle dates
from between the mid 1910's and mid 1920's; when it was used for ammonia is
unknown, but likely the during the same era.

An early
reference to bottle re-use...

The following is from the book
"Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico - The Diary of Susan
Shelby Magoffin 1846-1847" (Drumm 1926) and indicates the
high value of used bottles on the Western American Frontier:

"Our resting place is on the
river bank opposite to an Indian village on the other side, and
the warriors and squaws are coming over in flocks to see the
wonderful objects of curiosity. They bring things to sell
- eggs, sandias (watermelons), tortillas, grapes and the
like. They wish to trade for bottles instead of money.
They readily give four bits a piece for an empty bottle, making
a fine profit for the owners. We can buy in the States the
filled bottles for three or four dollars a dozen, drink the
liquor, and then sell the empty bottles for six dollars per
dozen..."

Throughout the country at that
time used bottles were considered of value and typically not
discarded unless broken and unusable (Busch 1987).

Another very early example of how a given type of bottle can be used or re-used
for a non-type typical product, click on the following links:
sunburst with label;
close-up of the label.
This shows an example of an 1820s or 1830s era "sunburst" flask that
was almost certainly re-used for "SPTS. CAMPHOR" by a Pennsylvanian
druggist. Spirits of camphor was used internally (an
expectorant) and still is used externally (muscle aches and pains)
though it is now considered to be a more or less hazardous substance
if ingested; it is definitely not considered a liquor! Even on a
non-commercial level, bottles were very often reused. Below is
an image of an early 20th century family picnicking with the children
using three reused liquor bottles and one reused medicine bottle (likely a
Moxie Nerve Food bottle) as containers for milk and other
presumably
softer beverages; click to enlarge. (Picture courtesy of Dan
Herzog.)

This certainly shows that bottle recycling was
not just a modern phenomena, as
it was widely practiced in throughout the 19th (and before) through early 20th centuries when bottles were relatively more
expensive to produce than today. According to the Wilson's book Spirits
Bottles of the Old West, an amber 1/5
gallon (i.e., "fifth" size) whiskey bottle - like the Tea Kettle Old Bourbon
bottle pictured earlier on this page - cost an expensive 25 to 30 cents each to produce in
the 1870's (Wilson & Wilson 1968). That would be equivalent to at least
$4.00 today (USGPO 1975). Bottle re-use was common since the container
itself was often more expensive to produce than the contents. (Note:
Probably the best overview on the subject of bottle reuse is found in Jane Busch's
article "Second Time Around: A Look at Bottle Reuse" (Busch
1987). This
article is now available as a pdf file via the Society for Historical Archaeology
website by doing a search at this URL:
http://www.sha.org/publications/publicationsOnline/pubExplorer.cfm

Regardless of the above points, there is still a high
correlation between the shape of a bottle and the primary and/or original use of the bottle.
These Bottle Typing pages (and website in general) deal with the fact that a given shape
(or manufacturing related attribute) was dominant during a certain
period of time and/or for a certain product. This information is also
premised on that fact that the probability is high - but not absolute - that any given bottle with a similar shape was likely used for the same type
of product.
For example an unembossed tall, amber glass, cylinder bottle similar to the
Tea Kettle Old Bourbon bottle
pictured above is highly likely to have also been used for some type of
noncarbonated alcoholic beverage.

Summary Note: The more datable diagnostic characteristics
that can be used in conjunction with the bottle typing information found on
these Bottle Typing pages, the closer the probable date range for an item
can be narrowed and the more confidence one can have with that estimate.

Note on Base Profiles/Cross-section
shapes: One
bottle shape related feature which is not broadly addressed on this website is the base profile or shape.
This is typically the shape of the bottle base when viewed straight on.
It is also
usually the cross-section shape of the bottle body, though there are exceptions
to the latter, e.g., "mug-based" soda bottles have an octagonal base but a round
body cross-section shape. (Click
Mt. Hood Soda Water to see an example of a mug-based Hutchinson soda
bottle from Portland, OR.) Base profiles and/or the body cross-section
shape are a distinct feature of a bottle that has utility when describing a
bottle and is addressed here on a bottle specific basis. Base profiles
are not addressed broadly because there is little specific dating or typing information to be gleaned from simply
knowing the
base profile, though the profile can assist at times with the typing of a
bottle on a case-by-case basis.

The best readily available source for
classifying bottle base
profiles is the "Bottle Base Profiles" webpage illustration that
was included in
the IMACS (Intermountain Antiquities Computer System) guide. A copy of
that illustration is available at the following link:
http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/IMACSbaseprofiles/pdf U. of U.
1992). This illustration was from Fikes' 1987 book
on
historic medicine bottles - The Bottle Book: A Guide to Historic Medicine
Bottles. A combination of the IMACS and intuitive shape names are
used when describing base profiles on this "Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes"
page, the connected sub-pages, and on other site pages.

BOTTLE TYPING/DIAGNOSTIC SHAPES

Bottle typing is not particularly conducive to
the use of a questions based "key" like was used on the
Bottle Dating pages. A key to identify bottle types based on
different physical characteristics would be either impossible to effectively create due
to the incredible diversity of bottle shapes, or if created, too ponderous
to use.

Instead, this page and the attached sub-pages are
structured so that a user can peruse a large assortment of pictures of
different bottles to find the shape/type they are interested in. The
major bottle type categories used here are based on an amalgam of dozens of references,
most notably including Munsey
(1970), Ketchum (1975), Herskovitz (1978), McKearin & Wilson (1978), Berge (1980), Fike (1987), Jones & Sullivan (1989), numerous
glass makers catalogs, and the IMACS
Users Guide (Univ. of Utah 1992) but does not align precisely with any one of
these references. Scores of other references were also consulted for
the preparation of these pages and are noted where appropriate.

Some users of this site will inevitably disagree with
what bottle types were included - or not included - in the broad categories
used. For instance some authors place cosmetic bottles (including
perfume and cologne) into the "Medical and Chemical" bottle category whereas
this website places them within the "Household bottles (non-food)" category
(IMACS Univ. of Utah 1992). Others place canning/fruit jars and milk
bottles into the "Household Bottles" and "Non-alcoholic Beverages"
categories, respectively, whereas this website includes both in a category
entitled "Food Bottles & Canning Jars" which is intended to cover bottles
and jars which contained non-alcoholic food products (Berge 1980). The
point behind these typology pages is not to establish a hierarchal
classification system for bottle types but instead to help users identify
what the most likely function or use was made of the specific bottle shape
or type they are interested in determining such for.

In essence, this
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes complex of webpages is an on-line "type
collection" of the major types and styles of bottles made during the period
from the 19th through mid-20th centuries.

Eight broad categories of
bottle types - plus one additional page for images of labeled examples of
all types not otherwise pictured - are addressed and given short overviews
on this page in the order listed below (no
significance to the order):

If a user does not
know what type of bottle he or she has, or simply wants to browse, one may
scroll through the page below and do a visual search for the bottle
type/shape for which they have interest or a need to obtain information.

If a user already knows what general bottle
type they have or are interested in, they may click on the specific bottle
type page links below to open a separate browser window of that particular page:

Each of the eight bottle type categories
are described in general in the boxes (with the same background color as
this box) listed below. Following a general
discussion relative to that category are dozens of thumbnail pictures of
different bottle shapes and types within that category. All eight
categories have immense variation in potential shapes and overlap with
other
categories. Because of this, there is no other practical way to
approach the subject without using a lot of images and old
glass company catalog illustrations. Each thumbnail image may be
clicked on to view a larger version of that image.

Once an individual finds a specific bottle or type
category of interest, they may click on the link at the end of each
section below to move to the bottle type specific webpage that
expands upon the brief discussions here. These webpages also include detailed bottle type specific
information and dating tips that help describe and reinforce the process
one must go through to date (or otherwise describe) the subject bottle(s).
Each bottle type page
contains and has links to a plethora of images of bottles within that
category, including the bottles pictured in thumbnail images on this page.
Each of these bottle type specific webpages also attempts to sample the breadth
of different bottles possible within that particular category for the
period covered by this website, i.e., early 1800's through the 1950's.

The information found on these pages is
based on scores of different references in hand with the experience and
observations made by the author over the past 4+ decades. As with virtually everything
related to historic bottles, there are periodic exceptions to be found with virtually
all the estimated dating ranges and other information noted for all the
bottle types. These exceptions are noted where possible and useful.
Regardless of the ever present exceptions, the information found should be
reliable for a large majority of bottles within each bottle type and
subtype.

This complex of "Bottle Typing
(Typology)/Diagnostic
Shapes" pages will always be a "work-in-progress" for the
author as the diversity
of bottle types & shapes is almost endless. Thus, these pages
will never be considered
"complete" and are, in fact, designed to be added to continuously over time. If you
do not see the bottle type or shape you are interested in, contact the
author (email address accessible via a link at the bottom of each main website page) and make a
suggestion for its inclusion, where it should be included, and why.

This is all a formidable task indeed and one that can
not ever be totally complete given the diversity of bottles during the
covered era. However, it's a start so lets get
started...

NOTE:
Also attached to this grouping of pages are complete scanned copies (jpegs) of
several never before re-printed bottle makers illustrated catalogs. Click
on the following links to access these catalogs:

Liquor
of all types - bourbon, rye, gin, scotch whisky, brandy, etc. - was bottled in a
wide variety of bottle shapes and sizes ranging from small flasks that
held a few ounces to demijohns and carboys that held gallons. As
with many of the bottle type categories to follow, liquor bottle
diversity is staggering in depth and variety. The image to the
left shows a grouping of liquor bottles that were manufactured over a one
hundred year period (1820-1920), though just a tiny bit of the variety
produced during that time span. Still, there are
definitive trends in shapes that mark a bottle as very likely to have been
used primarily or originally as a container for high alcohol spirits
intended for internal consumption during a specific time range of
popularity.

Alcohol was an important ingredient in
many other products also, ranging from of course wine, champagne, beer,
ale and porter (all covered in the next two sections) to most patent and proprietary medicines, bitters, and tonics
to even preserved ("brandied") fruits. However, this section of the "Bottle
Typing/Diagnostic Shapes" complex of pages just covers liquor bottles where the
contained product was high in alcohol (20%+) and the intended use was not
primarily medicinal - or at least the acknowledged medicinal utility was
of secondary importance.

Liquor/spirits bottles were, as noted, bottled in
a very wide array of different types or styles of bottles. Today
some of the basic general shapes that originated in the 19th century are
still in use, e.g., the "Dandy" flask and cylinder "fifth", though of
course produced with modern machines and (usually) utilizing more modern
closures. Many or most other liquor bottle styles are not used
today. Because of the immense diversity of shapes used over time,
the Liquor/Spirits Bottle typing webpage (linked below) is quite large.
As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of
subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which
are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the liquor bottle
type they are interested in or click
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of liquor bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page covers the
following general, and somewhat arbitrary, shapes of liquor bottles which
may be clicked on to move directly to that section of the page. (These
are further divided on the Liquor/Spirits Bottles page.):

The following thumbnail images of
different liquor or spirits bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
very large but separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link:
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottles. As
noted earlier, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of
liquor/spirits bottles is as extensive as any class of bottles and those pictured below
are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

Generally speaking, wine and champagne (essentially carbonated or "sparkling"
wine) were bottled in a much more limited array of bottle shapes than the
spirits/liquor containers discussed above. In fact, it is one of the least
diverse of the broad categories covered on this website. First off, virtually all
wine/champagne bottles are round in cross section; square, rectangular, or other
body shapes are unusual, though they do exist to some extent with wine bottles.
Champagne, being carbonated, pretty much had to be contained in round heavy
glass bottles (like all carbonated beverages) since round bottles are inherently
stronger than other shapes, all other things being equal (e.g., glass thickness,
quality). In addition, a large majority of wine and champagne bottles were
(and continue to be) produced in some shade of olive green, olive amber, and
sometimes aqua/colorless glass; other colors are unusual but possible (McKearin & Wilson
1978, Van den Bossche 2001). The grouping pictured here shows some
diversity to be sure but does span a time period from about 1750 to the early
20th century.

Wine and champagne bottles today follow
closely many of the same basic designs - including closures (i.e., cork) - that were used in the mid-19th century;
shapes which were relatively limited in variety.
Because of this fact, the wine/champagne typing webpage is relatively brief.
As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of
subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which
are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the wine/champagne
bottle type they are interested in or click
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of wine and champagne bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the following two major categories of bottles based on their specific
contents which may be clicked on to move directly to those sections. (These are further divided on the Wine & Champagne Bottles page.):

The following thumbnail images of
different wine and champagne bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link:
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottles. As
with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of
wine and champagne bottles is more extensive than those pictured below,
which hopefully represent the most commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

Similar to
wine and champagne bottles, beer and related products (ale, porter, stout) were bottled in a relatively
limited array of bottle shapes, though probably somewhat more diverse.
The grouping to the left - dating from the 1860s to 1950s - shows some of
the moderate diversity found in this category. One common feature is
that essentially all beer/ale bottles are round in cross section; square,
rectangular, or other body shapes are almost unknown. Beer and ale,
being carbonated, pretty much had to be contained in round heavy glass
bottles since round bottles are inherently stronger than other shapes -
all other things being equal (e.g., glass thickness and quality).
There were some notable exceptions which are discussed on the Beer & Ale
Bottles typing page (linked below).

Beer bottles today follow
some of the same designs that were used during the late 19th century,
though the finish and closures are often different than that era but very
similar to those common during the first third of the 20th century (crown
cap, external screw threads). Because of this relative uniformity over time,
the beer/ale typing webpage is moderate in length. It does cover
more information than the previously discussed wine/champagne bottle page;
there is just more to say (and been said) about beer bottles and a
category probably more commonly encountered on American historic sites
than wine/champagne bottles (though the latter category is still quite
common). As with all
historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of subtle
differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which
are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor
nuances.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the beer/ale
bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Beer & Ale Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of beer and ale bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of beer and ale bottles as follows
which may be clicked on to move directly to those sections of the page. (These are further divided on the Beer & Ale Bottles page.):

The following thumbnail images of
different beer and ale bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Beer & Ale Bottles. As
with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of
beer and ale bottles is more extensive than those pictured below,
which hopefully represent the most commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Beer & Ale Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

Soda
and mineral water (often lumped together and referred to as "soda water"
unless a distinction is necessary) was bottled in a moderately diverse
array of bottle styles as indicated by the grouping pictured to the left -
a grouping that dates from the 1850s to 1950s. However, like with
the beer/ale bottles covered above, the (usually) carbonated nature of
soda water narrowed the possible bottle variety in several ways. The
bottles had to be made of relatively heavy/thick glass in order to
withstand the rigors of repeated bottling and handling - re-use being the
norm until well into the 20th century - as well as the gaseous pressures
of the product itself. Being carbonated, soda water pretty much had
to be contained in round bottles since round bottles are inherently
stronger than other shapes - all other things being equal (e.g., glass
thickness and quality). Like with beer/ale bottles, there were a few
notable exceptions to the round shape which are discussed on the Soda &
Mineral Water Bottles typing page (linked below).

Unlike some of the liquor, beer and
wine/champagne bottles covered above, none of the soda water styles
covered still see much widespread use in the U.S. where soda is primarily
sold in plastic (though still round) bottles. Worldwide, however, a few of the more
modern styles discussed are still being used.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the soda/mineral
water bottle type they are interested in or click
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of soda and mineral water bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of soda and mineral water bottles as
follows which may be clicked on to move directly to that section of the page. (These are divided further on the Soda & Mineral Water Bottles page.):

The following thumbnail images of
different soda/mineral water bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link:
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottles. As
with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of
soda & mineral water bottles is more extensive than those pictured below,
which hopefully represent the most commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the
Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

The category of medicinal (and
related) bottles is probably the
largest and most diverse group produced during the era covered
by this website (19th through mid 20th centuries) and in particular,
between the 1850s and 1920s. The grouping pictured to the left -
which covers a period from the 1850s to 1930s - shows but a tiny sampling
of medicinal bottle diversity which is frankly staggering in depth and
variety with virtually any shape imaginable used at some point. In
fact, many types of bottles that are usually strongly identified with
other distinct bottle types (e.g., blob top sodas, liquor flasks, even
beer bottles) were used (or re-used) by someone at some time for
medicines.

Though intimidating in its immense diversity (and
for the author of this website!), there are some useful trends in shapes
that mark a bottle as very likely to have been used primarily or
originally as a container for a some type of medicinal product. Very
few of the basic medicinal bottle shapes from the past see any use today
as most medicinal products and prescriptions are "bottled" in plastic
containers of all sorts, utilizing modern closures. Because of the
immense diversity of shapes used in the past, the
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottle typing webpage (linked below) is quite
large.
As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of
subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which
are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the
medicinal/chemical/druggist bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of medicinal, chemical, and druggist bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of these bottles as
follows (these are divided further on the Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles page):

The following thumbnail images of
different medicinal/chemical/druggist bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles. As noted earlier, be
aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of medicinal bottles is
probably more extensive than any other class of bottles and those pictured
below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

The category of food bottles -
including fruit/canning jars - is another immense group of
bottles and jars with a very high degree of diversity of shapes and sizes.
As with most of the previous categories discussed above, the examples
pictured and described in this section are
but a superficial sampling of the variety that was produced during the era
covered by this website - the 19th century through the middle of the 20th
century. One
prominent observer noted that "...bottles made for foods are quite
numerous and, in fact, constitute a large portion of bottles made..."
(Munsey 1970). This is likely true in regards to the numbers of
items produced which if included with medicinal bottles (previous
category) would likely make up the majority of bottles produced since the
early 19th century. In general, food bottles have not inspired as
much interest from collectors (the source of the majority of bottle
reference books) as other categories; thus, foods have received a
relatively limited amount of research in comparison to the noted
commonness of the type. The one very significant exception to this
would be the fruit/canning jar category which has generated high interest
over the years.

Some of the basic food
bottle shapes continued in production well into the late 20th century
(particularly fruit jars), though most did not. Similar to the
medicinal products covered above, food products are largely contained in
plastic containers of all sorts in recent decades though there are various
glass bottles and jars in use today that do exhibit some of their
historical heritage. Because of the wide diversity of shapes used in
the past, the Food Bottles & Canning jars Bottle typing webpage
(linked below) is relatively large.
As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of
subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which
are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the food bottle or
fruit/canning type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Food Bottles & Canning Jarsto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of food and food related bottles/jars commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of these bottles as
follows (these are divided further a bit on the Food Bottles & Canning
Jars page):

*Note: Some authors classify milk
bottles within the "beverage" category and not as a "food" bottle.
This website does not use a specific "beverage bottle" category, but
instead divides what would be sub-classes under beverages (liquor, beer,
soda, etc.) into their own specific types due to the breadth of variety
and examples within those categories. Given this structure, milk
bottles could either be a separate category, or being widely considered as
a food (and surely as a base for other food products like cheese),
included within the food bottle group...which is what has been done.
This very large category and webpage will most likely need divided further
in the future. More specifically, the canning/fruit jars section and
possibly milk bottles may be made into their own separate webpages.

The following thumbnail images of
different food bottles & canning jars may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Food Bottles & Canning Jars. As noted earlier, be
aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of food bottles and
canning jars is very extensive and those pictured
below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Food Bottles & Canning Jarspage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

This
non-food related Household bottles page is one of two typology pages (in
addition to the
Miscellaneous & Foreign bottles page which follows) which comprise the "catch-all"
sections for bottle
types not otherwise covered by the other major bottle type
categories. Specifically, this page addresses non-food products clearly used in households across the United States
and Canada. These products were also used, of course, by businesses,
schools, government offices, and other non-household entities.

The
"household bottles" (aka "personal" bottle) category has been used by
archaeologists - and collectors to some degree - for many years although the
actual bottle types contained within the category varies significantly (Berge
1980; Univ. of Utah [IMACS] 1992; Felton et al. 1984; Jones & Sullivan 1989).
For example, canning/fruit jars which are included by some authors in the "household"
bottles category, are covered within this website on the
Food Bottles & Canning Jars page (Berge 1980). Another example
is that chemical and poison type bottles - which could have
been covered on this page or the "Miscellaneous bottles" page - were instead discussed on the
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist bottles
typology page (Univ. of Utah [IMACS] 1992). There has never been total
agreement on the categorization hierarchy of bottle types and probably never
will be. The point behind these typology pages is not to establish
a hierarchal classification system for bottle types but instead to help users
identify what the most likely function or use was made of the specific bottle
shape or type they are interested in determining such for. See the
"Organization & Structure" section which follows below for the specific bottle
types that this website includes in the "household" category.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the household
bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Household Bottles (non-food related)to move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of household bottles (non-food related) commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of these bottles as
follows (these are divided further on the Household Bottles [non-food related] page):

The following thumbnail images of
different household bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Household Bottles (non-food related). As noted earlier, be
aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of the various
categories of "household" bottles is very extensive and those pictured
below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Household Bottles (non-food related)page are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

This and the previous "Household
bottles (non-food)" pages are the catch-all sections for
American-made bottles that do not neatly fit in any of the other major
typology pages. This particular page also includes a smattering of foreign bottles which were
commonly imported into the U. S. and Canada and likely to
be found on U. S. and Canadian historic sites.

From this point a user
needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the miscellaneous
bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Miscellaneous & Foreign Bottlesto move to that
page which specifically covers
the various types of bottles that both do not fit in any of the other
typology section and were commonly produced and used during the era covered by
this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century. This page
covers the major form classes or categories of these bottles as
follows (these are divided further on the Miscellaneous & Foreign Bottles page):

The following thumbnail images of
different miscellaneous bottles may be clicked to view a larger
version of that picture. Search through these images to find the bottle
type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close. A
separate webpage
containing information about - and
additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Miscellaneous & Foreign Bottles. As noted earlier, be
aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of the various
categories of the bottles covered in this section is very extensive and those pictured
below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly
encountered types and shapes. The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes:
Miscellaneous & Foreign Bottlespage are covered in the order that the
bottles are pictured below.

Attached to this complex of
"typing" pages is a separate webpage that is an extensive pictorial coverage
of bottles of all types with their original product content labeling.

The Labeled Bottles page allows users to see what many different shapes
or "types"
of bottles were precisely used for as the original labels (and often
contents) are still intact. It is hoped that showing a large assortment
of bottles, which are often not embossed as to contents, will give users
more of a feel for what shapes were used primarily for what products.

This page is is almost purely a pictorial
page with limited descriptive information on the pictured bottles; the
labels usually speak for themselves. Most of the bottles that are
pictured are not pictured elsewhere on this website, and in fact, are often
images found on the internet or submitted by users. This page is also
divided into the eight major bottle type categories noted on this page:
Liquor & Spirits; Wine & Champagne; Beer & Ale; Soda & Mineral Water;
Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist; Food & Fruit/Canning Jars; Household (non-food
related); and Miscellaneous.

It is expected that additional images of
product labeled bottles will be constantly acquired and added indefinitely
to this page well into the future. Stay tuned...Click Labeled
Bottles to view the page.

Note:
Submissions for addition to the Labeled Bottles page in the form of clear, good quality
digital images are most welcome! Of particular need are good images
for the categories that are relatively underrepresented. If submitting
photos, views of the label(s), embossing (if present), at least one side (if
not round), and the base would be appreciated though just a picture
of the entire bottle showing the label clearly are also acceptable.